Chongqing - On August 21, Liangjiang New Area hosted a sharing session for the "Experience Chongqing, Seasonal Splendors" overseas media tour, revealing a side of the city that rarely makes viral clips. Two recent delegations — 11 global content creators and a 33-member Latin American think tank delegation — spent more than a week exploring districts far from the famous Hongya Cave skyline, returning with stories of mountain villages, smart factories, and unexpected romance.
Australian travel photographer Jason Robertson, part of the creator group, said the trip only deepened an impression he has held for years. "I've always spoken very highly of China, and it's become one of my favorite countries to visit," he said. "We honestly feel like it's still incredibly underrated within our community, and there's so much more to discover here. We really hope that we get the opportunity to come back soon and explore even more."
For Russian influencer Artem, the trip also came at a special time. "I just got married last month on the 24th, so we're almost finishing our honeymoon period," he said. "I'm really glad that we can enjoy Chongqing and participate in this event." He noted that the tour was deliberately designed to "see different sides of Chongqing," as the municipality's vast geography means its outer districts can differ dramatically from the urban core.
"All the people, they come to Chongqing to see Hongya Cave or this cyberpunk 8D city, but we go deeper — deep in the mountains to see the real China, the different part of Chongqing," he said. "Welcome to romantic Chongqing, love paradise."
While the creators focused on landscapes and local culture, the Latin American delegation, which arrived on August 19, turned its attention to policy and industry. Its study tour included stops at Changan Automobile and Haifu Medical, offering a window into Chongqing's smart manufacturing capabilities, urban-rural development models, and Bayu cultural heritage.
Together, the two delegations offered a fuller portrait of a city that is at once a vertical metropolis, a mountain hinterland, and an industrial powerhouse — a complexity that no single viral video can capture.